It's Game Day!
One thing you need to know about San Francisco is...................That it's always busy. There is always something that is happening in this great city. On Saturday, January 21, 2012, there was a Farmer's Market in front of the Carnelian By The Bay (venue for Kulinarya), a Walk for Life event somewhere in the city and an Abortion Protest/Occupy SF rally that happened right in front of the Ferry Building..........Plus, the 2nd Kulinarya Final Showdown. So imagine how many people were converged in one area at the same time............Literally, thousands!!!!
So planning my Saturday Logistics was nerve-wracking to say the least. How do i possibly move my whole kitchen from Union City, CA to San Francisco CA???? Transporting it, was an event in itself, we had to take 2 cars! Then there was the problematic issue of parking in downtown SF. As you all know, parking in SF is the most challenging task of all. Street parking at 3.00 and hour versus parking garage at $35.00 flat fee???? Hmmmmm!!!!! for 2 cars!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, something I didnt need to worry about, that's why I travel with my son and my husband, that's their job.
My daughter Icky, was my sous chef!!! The greatest sous chef, ever!!!! She's driven, also has severe OCD, smart and creative. She knows what she wants to do, needs very little direction and instruction and makes game changing decisions that I trust.
So Team Union City, was ready to rock and roll!!!! So all I needed, was for my opponents to not show up and I could be declared the instant winner! NOT!
So we arrived at 12:15 pm, cooking was scheduled to start at 1:00 pm............So when we got there, we set-up our prep area and our plating area. At exactly 1:00 pm, we were off to the races. It's Game Time!!! It was time to turn this passion of mine into full gear.............Oh, did I mention, we were assigned e newbie culinary student. I got Ruben, nice kid. Only been in culinary school for 2 weeks. He was raw, really had no skills yet, but he had the willingness to help, was engaged at all times and was curious and most expecially, he was confident and collected. Cool!
Downer! At 1:00 pm, we couldnt get the oven to work, as we needed the elctrician who was nowhere to be found.................Ha ha ha!!!! So Pinoy, really!!!! Anyway! I decided to focus my energy somewhere else.
Game Plan................Began cooking the oxtail for the Kare Kare and started making dessserts. Icky was off to making the crepes for the Fresh Lumpia and Ruben was assigned to prep all the veggies. I handed him a smaller knife and not too sharp. Wasnt sure if he was ready for big time tools yet.
With the mixer on full speed, I started with the meringue discs for the Coconut Pandan Sans Rival. I followed that with the Ube chiffon base for the Halo Halo Cake and then followed it with the Brazo de Merceded Cupcake. Desserts were on their way, all lined up to be baked one after the other
On the stove we bagan cooking the Adobo and the Pickling mixture for the Banh Mi veggies. While these were cooking, I was prepping the frosting for the Sans Rival and the Cupcake.
Ruben, is still cutting veggies and watching the Kare Kare pot behind him. Oh, did i forget to mention, the culinary assistants cannot perform any cooking at all.........
Everything was working as planned and at 3:00 pm, all the desserts were done and ready, the Kare Kare was finishing up and the adobo was done. All i had left to do was to cook the Fresh Lumpia filling and finish cooking the Kare Kare sauce.
At 4pm, we all headed out to the showroom from the prep kitchen. This whole time, as I was going back and forth from the kitchen into the showroom, i was oblivious of the people around me as my focus was on trying to get all my dishes made. As we moved our way into the showroom, it finally hit me, as i looked up and saw the over 400 people standing in front of me..........Holy Crap! Then I saw the kids, Aisa, Ella, DJ, FJ, Mom,, my husband, Kenton, and Joey, Shannon and Leah, Alan, Gloria and Brian, Auntie Inya and some folks who I didnt even know, waving and cheering for me. OMG! FJ came over and gave me a big hug, I needed that son, Thanks!!!!!!
Then I got really panicky!!!! OMG! Is this really happening! OMG!!! Again and again and again. My knees are shaking, Im panicking. I dont even know what I looked like, as the last time I looked in the mirror was in the car on our way to the event, that was more than 5 hours ago..........Then there were lights and cameras everywhere. Again, Holy Crap!!!!!!
Here comes Franco Finn! Now, if you are from the Bay Area, you would know Franco Finn. Franco is the Golden State Warriors Hype Man. What he does, is engages the audience and gets them going to cheer on their favorite competitors. Of course, my entire cheering squad was in the front of the room, cheering me on! I love my kids and my family! They have no shame!!!!!! Ha ha ha ha!
So as we couunt down to the 1st plating, Icky is preparing the drink that we had prepared for the event, Its a Calamansi-Ginger Green Tea Cooler to be served with the 2nd dish, Kare Kare. As you all know, Kare Kare is a very rich and nutty dish, I planned to serve the drink with this dish to provide the judges with something cool and fresh to wash down their taste buds as they taste each competitors entree.
Exactly at 4:50 pm, we served our 1st dish, VEGETARIAN FRESH LUMPIA I created 2 mini bite sized versions of this dish, on a bed of soy-sugar sauce and then drizzled with ground peanuts, turbinado sugar and a tsp of raw garlic on the side. As i presented the dish to the judges, i spoke to them about the special crepe recipe I have developed throughout the years for this dish as I have been making this for the longest time. Throughout the years I have found that the secret to a great Fresh Lumpia is not in the filling but is in the sauce and the wrap. To make excellent Fresh Lumpia, you need to start with a great wrapper and finish with a great tasting sauce. Killed It!~!
At 5:10, we served the 2nd dish, KARE KARE. I presented this dish in a covered clay pot, warmed up in the oven, and a chinese spoon filled with bagoong, topped with fried garlic. Ok, let me tell you my feelings about Kare Kare.
This is one dish that had to stay traditional and authentic. To capture your eating audience, this dish has to stay true to form and needs to be served the traditional way. This is a dish that when you first smell it and taste it, should play withyour senses and bring back memories of your childhood. This is not a dish that you can play with and fusionize or de-construct. Doing that, in my opinion ruins the greatness of this dish. It is a stew, that takes hours to cook and the flavors of this dish need to melt together as one, bringing the peanut and the rosted rice together into one nutty taste, combined with the tender meat and the crisp vegetables atop, freshly cooked white or brown rice served with a side serving of cooked bagoong, it's Heaven in a pot! Got It? As i spoke passionately about this dish to the judges, I got all of them to nod and agree with me!
That's all I have to say about Kare Kare. Next Dish!
At 5:30, I served my 3rd dish, ADOBO BANH MI. Honestly, i strongly felt that this dish is what would take this competition over the top. Adobo, regarded as the National Dish of the Philippines is the best vehicle to introduce the Filipino cusine to the Western Palate. If there is a perfect Filipino dish to fusionize, it is this dish!!! I decided to present an adobo dish that my Lola Paz taught all of us to make, a unique adobo dish stewed in the normal, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic combination combined with chopped ripe tomatoes and finely chopped onion. This dish had to be slowly simmered in this combination, then deep fried to a crisp covering while the inside remains juicy and tender. Now, I served this adobo filling in a crusty warm french baguette with the traditional banh mi accompaniments, thinly sliced english cucumbers, jalapeno, fresh cilantro and a mixture of pickled carrots and daikon radish. On the top side of the bread, I spread an equal mixture of softened french butter and mayonaisse and on the under side of the bread I spread the reduced adobo sauce including the tenderly cooked bits of tomatoes and onions. Ahhhh! Heaven in a bun!
As I spoke to the judges, I told them about my memories as a child vacationing with my grandparents. My Lolo used to come home after a visit to the market, with a bag of Hot Pandesal in his hand and my Lola, pulling out leflover adobo from the pantry and filling the pan de sal with this great filling, meat, sauce and all the goodness in a bun............I got a little emotional telling the judges about this story as my inspiration for this dish was my Lola Paz
At 5:45 pm, i presented my last dish, TASTE of the PHILIPPINES SAMPLER: Brazo de Mercedes Cupcake, Coconut-Pandan Sans Rical and Halo Halo Cake. For those who know me well, you know that baking is my passion.
When I thought about my menu for this competition, I didnt want to present the normal, ordinary Filipino desserts. I wanted to present desserts that will give the judges the flavor of what i was talking about but presented in a more westernized dessert. So of course, I had to make cupcakes, since I've been on a cupcake kick for a few years. So here's what I decided to make:
Brazo de Mercedes Mini-Cupcake: A tender Vanilla Chiffon Cupcake, filled with a lemony Yema Filling, topped with torched Swiss Meringue Frosting.
Coconut-Pandan Mini Sans Rival: Thin layers of Almond-Meringue Wafers, filled and topped with a Coconut-Pandan Italian Buttercream and rolled in unsweetened Toasted Coconut Flakes
Halo Halo Custard Cake: Combining Leche Flan and Ube Chiffon Cake as a base, topped off with Leche Flan Caramel with sweetened Macapuno (Young Coconut) strings, baked in a bain marie. Finishing it off with a melty scoop of Ciao Bella Coconut Gelato, topped with sweetened Japanese Azuki Beans.
Of all the dishes, in my opinion, my dessert entree sealed the competition. Imagine making all 3 of the above dishes in 3 hours! In all the 3 desserts, I wanted to give the judges the familiar Filipino dessert flavors of Buko-Pandan, Brazo de Mercedes and Halo Halo, but overall I wanted to give them the feeling that you can still re-create those tastes in your mouth presenting those tastes in non-familiar settings. Halo Halo as a cake instead of in a glass. Buko-Pandan in a crispy frozen dessert instead of a bowl and Brazo de Mercedes in a mini-cupcake package instead of a slice of that famous dessert.
Whew! A little over the top, you can say, but it turned out perfectly!!!!
So after the amateur bit was over, my family decided to take me next door to Sinbad's and relax and chill at the bar..................30 minutes later and a few shots of tequila, we were back in the competition floor watching the Professional Chefs do their thing and awaiting nervously the tabulation of the judges votes.
..............Minutes later, all the competitors where asked to come to the front where we were presented with our Gift baskets and Gift Bags. As I stand there nervousl;y awaiting the verdict, i see my entire group of family and friends also nervously awaiting the decision. In my mind, I wasnt quite sure that I did the best that I could. I thought that there were a few areas where I could have done better, but that's me, always so competitive and so hard on myself. So here it comes, Franco Finn was supposed to announce the 3rd place winner and then announce the 2nd and the 1st but somehow he went straight to announcing the Winner of the Amateur competition.............An the Winner is:
Me! :)))
Here's a recap of the event, courtesy of TFC's Balitang America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUDlJVCdF7M
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